To Crown a Queen
by Strawwolf
Summary: When Allison is stabbed by the Oni Scott makes a fateful decision to save her life by biting her. Now she must navigate the world as a werewolf and decide if she can forgive Scott for his actions. But there's no time. Strange dreams and an old enemy threaten Beacon Hills. Allison has to learn to control herself so she turns to the one person she feels can train her, Derek Hale.
1. Chapter 1

Chris felt frozen to the spot. Scott was cradling his daughter in his arms. It was clear she was injured and the fight appeared to be over, but no one looked happy. If anything they appeared to be upset. A sick feeling started to burble in his stomach. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with Allison. He drew his gun, assessing the yard as he ran towards his daughter. Stiles and Lydia weren't present, a concern quickly diminishing in value as he approached Scott. Tucking the weapon away he assessed his daughter's injuries, his eyes immediately drawn to the blood spreading from her abdomen. He looked up to her face, pale and pinched, her eyes had taken on a glassy look. But when he said her name she heard him and looked over, attempting to smile.

"Allison," he whispered, cradling her cheek in his hand. She was surprisingly warm.

"Dad," she breathed out.

He pulled out his phone. An ambulance could be here in minutes. He quickly dialed, placing his other hand over her wound, trying to stem her blood, willing it to clot.

"Tell me what happened." He tried to keep his voice steady, his breathing rhythmic. When Scott didn't answer he looked up at the young man, only to find tears in his eyes.

"She says it doesn't hurt. I don't know what to do." His voice, pleading with Chris who had no more answers than Scott.

Despite his training Chris could feel that calm facade starting to melt away, like so much ice under a spring sun. That sudden flood of adrenaline, a cool rush that made him shiver in fear. They wouldn't arrive in time. It was too dark to see but Chris could guess that her blood was on Scott and the ground beneath him. His mind started to race. He had medical supplies in the car but surely she would need a transfusion. The hospital was too far and-

"911 do you need police, fire or ambulance?" A terse dispatcher on his phone interrupted his thoughts. Chris swallowed thickly and took a quick breath.

"Yes I, my daughter was choking on a hamburger in our car but she was able to cough it up. We won't be needing an ambulance."

"You're sure you wouldn't like us to dispatch someone?"

"Yes." The conversation couldn't end soon enough. He felt tears on his cheeks and in the back of his mind he knew. If he wanted her to live, to even have a chance he knew. He looked down at his daughter who had closed her eyes and was having trouble breathing and then up at Scott, almost wanting to laugh out of desperation that it had come to this.

"Scott you have to bite her." He tried keeping the emotion out of his voice.

"What?" Scott could barely register what Mr. Argent was saying. He couldn't bite Allison. Not after everything with her mom. Her family, they were hunters, not werewolves.

"You have to bite her." He sighed. "I know what I'm asking you to do. If there was any other way I wouldn't have brought it up but she won't make it to a hospital." He tried ignoring how wet his hand was, covered in his daughter's wound as he tried to keep it from draining out of her body. There was no turning back now.

Scott looked at him, still stunned. If someone had told him one day he would be here, in this situation, he would never have believed them. He didn't dare look down at Allison. Would she want this?

"Scott if you don't bite her, she'll die."

"She could still die even if I do!" His grip on Allison involuntarily tightened. Derek had said the bite was a gift and now he was the only one who could bestow it one anyone. The scent of her blood was overwhelming but underneath he could smell Mr. Argent's fear and growing anger.

Chris grabbed Scott's shirt with his free hand. Was he desperate enough to consider making threats? Could he hold a gun to the kid's head and make him do it? Would it make a difference if he did? _I can't lose her too._

"She doesn't have time for you to think about this Scott! I'm begging you."

"I don't know. Would she want this?" Scott said to Chris, his voice cracking. He didn't want to lose Allison either. He loved her, maybe more than he cared to admit now that he and Kira were growing closer. And he didn't want anything to happen to her, but he knew what the bite had done to him. It wasn't a fate he would wish on anyone.

"I know she wouldn't want to leave you or Lydia or Isaac or me. She'd want to stay if she could. And I think we owe it to her to try." He felt the tears stream down his cheeks as he looked over to his daughter, his only child. Her breathing was shallow now as he brushed his thumb over her cheek.

"Please Scott. I can't lose her." He bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as he sunk into himself, trying to force out thoughts of what life would be like without her.

Scott looked down at Allison. Her heart had slowed, its constant thump-thump sluggish like an overfed pet. She was unconscious and in any other situation would appear to only be sleeping. _Please don't hate me for this._ Taking a deep, shaky breath he pulled up her jacket sleeve, ignoring everyone around him. Reaching within himself he pulled out the wolf, his eyes turning red, his fangs growing out. In the distance he could have sworn he heard yelling. He took hold of Allison's arm, limp and pliant in his hand. He closed his eyes and brought his mouth down on her soft skin, sinking his teeth into her flesh.


	2. Chapter 2

Allison couldn't feel her limbs but somehow knew the sun was shining. When she opened her eyes and looked up, light was filtering through a canopy of leaves, bright and blinding. Glancing at her surroundings she soon realized there were no trees in sight. In fact, she couldn't see anything at all. The world was a wall of white. In the distance she thought she could hear a low buzzing and her head pounded as she looked down to her arm and frowned in confusion. A runnel of blood dripped from an open wound onto the ground. The red stark against the white. Strangely it didn't hurt but all the same she pressed a hand to it, hunter instincts kicking in.

"Allison." A voice whispered behind her. She turned only to find herself alone. Was she hearing things? On more than one occasion she had imagined her mother barking at her. Perhaps this was more of the same. But there was no telling who had spoken, if indeed anyone had.

Allison looked up at the leaves again, floating in space above her. Where was she? And where was everyone else? As she tried to puzzle out what had happened she noticed something almost pattern-like on the leaves. Gingerly she reached up, stretching, her fingers barely brushing against them. Standing on tip toe she managed to pull one down, only to find it wasn't a leaf at all. Turning it over and rubbing it between her fingers it felt like animal hide but was covered in writing. And even though her blood-coated fingers obscured the writing she recognized it as Latin. _Where's Lydia when you need her?_ She tucked the 'leaf' into her pocket and had no recourse but to start walking. Following the angle of the sun she continued in a westerly direction, always under the strange foliage that appeared to be everywhere. But even with the sun she found herself growing cold. Blood continued to drip down her arm, no matter the amount of pressure she applied, painting a path that vanished off in the distance from her then to her now.

"Allison." The voice insistent at her back. And she could swear she felt breath on her neck. But turning a full circle she was still alone, though uneasy now. After all she could only defend against what she could see and for the moment there was no one in sight. That faint buzzing was still in the distance. Louder now but still faint enough to block out like so much white noise. She stumbled along, wondering if she should be heading towards or away from the noise. Wondering at what point she was going to wake up because this couldn't be anything but a dream. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the last thing she did before falling asleep. But nothing manifested. Only a vague sense of self. As if she had always existed here, in this place.

Eventually though her feet started to ache but she couldn't tell how far she had come, there being no reference points from which to gauge her location. The sun didn't appear to be moving and she couldn't even make out if there was a horizon in the distance or not. Without a clear indication of progress she sat down, trying to clear her head. And slowly, without even thinking about it she lay down, careful to keep her arm at a distance from her body. She watched as the blood pooled around it, her eyes closing every so often as she curled into herself, only then realized how bone tired she truly was. A quick nap wasn't the smartest decision but without any seemingly present threat and the desire to sleep overwhelming her, she couldn't see why she shouldn't indulge. Besides, with her injury there was little chance she'd be able to fend off anyone. With that grim and bitter thought running through her mind she settled down to try and chase illusive sleep.

Blinking slowly she found herself staring not at the leaf canopy but at a familiar ceiling. Her ceiling. She winced as she sat up, noting that she was in her own room. That feeling of unease was gone. What had happened? She closed her eyes, trying to think through the headache to her last memory. No. Scott and Isaac and Kira had been there. They'd been fighting and she…a hand went to her stomach.

Allison pulled back the covers and lifted her shirt, only to find a bare torso. No bandages, no blood, no wound. Her eyes widened, heart beating away as she tried to control her breathing. _But…I was impaled._ She gingerly skimmed a finger across the unmarred skin, half expecting to find something, anything that would explain this. _There should be a wound. There should be a scar. There should be something!_ She pulled her hand around to her back as if that would normalize whatever this was. But again, nothing.

Maybe she was still dreaming. Maybe she only thought she'd woken up. It would at least explain why she was at home instead of a hospital. That's when she noticed the bandage on her arm. Large, white and taped up by an expert. A light tap of the fingers on said bandage brought a sharp sting lancing up her arm. Unnerved by this mystery wound she started digging under the tape, determined to peel it off when the door opened. Her head snapped up, only to relax when her father walked in. He stopped, hand on the doorknob, face carefully controlled, a smile playing across his face after several moments.

"You're awake," he choked out.

She frowned, holding up her arm.

"Dad what happened? Is everyone okay?"

Chris did his best to hold her gaze. She looked so lost. And frail. There was colour to her cheeks so that was promising. But more importantly she was alive. Scott had made no promises when they'd carried her to the car. She could reject the bite and die anyway. So Chris had brought her home, away from the prying eyes of doctors and law enforcement who would ask too many questions. Melissa had stitched and bandaged her, saying it was the least she could do. And so he'd sat by her bedside as she slept, redressing the wound, occasionally falling asleep when exhaustion took over until one day he'd pulled off the tape to find it had vanished. That's when he'd grasped her limp hand in his own, smiling through tears and silently taking back every negative thing he'd ever said to or thought about Scott.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you want something to drink?"

Allison frowned. She and her dad had always been straight with one another. Ever since Gerard and her mom… It was just the two of them now. And teammates didn't lie to one another.

"Dad what happened to my arm?"

Chris came and sat down beside her. Concern flickered across his face as he stared at the bedspread before looking her in the eye. Instinct told her something was wrong. Something beyond strange wounds appearing and disappearing on her body.

"Do you remember what happened when you went to save Lydia?" She nodded. It wasn't as if she'd hit her head.

"We were fighting the Oni. I dropped my guard for a moment when I fired off an arrow and I let one get in too close. And it…but there's no wound, there's not even a scar and why am I at home dad? What aren't you telling me?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. There really wasn't an easy or simple way to explain what he'd asked, what he'd begged Scott to do.

"When I got there you were in Scott's arms. And you were losing too much blood." He dropped his head, eyes instantly straying to the bandage on her arm. "We wouldn't have gotten you to a hospital in time. So I," he sighed, "I did the only thing I could think of to save you." He grabbed her hand and squeezed tight. "I asked Scott to give you the bite."

With that he turned his eyes on his daughter, waiting for the storm and she just stared at him in confusion. Realization dawned on her face and looked at her father in horror. This had to be dream, a nightmare. It didn't makes sense.

"You asked Scott to bite me? To, to turn me into a werewolf!"

He didn't respond but the pain in his eyes was answer enough. With that Allison looked down to the bandage on her arm and suddenly couldn't stand the fact it was touching her skin. She wrenched her hand out of her father's grip and reached down, ripping it off, ignoring the sting as the last bit of tape came free as she flung it onto the floor. Underneath, against her skin, was a bite mark with every indentation perfectly defined, oozing with blood. _Like the dream._ Here was the blood she'd expected. But it was all wrong. The wound was wrong, the placement was wrong. Everything was wrong.

"It's not real. It's not."

She whispered to herself, the sting of tears close at hand as she remembered screaming into her father's arms after learning that her mother was dead. Her mother, who had been bitten. Her mother, who had followed the family code. For a long while the two sat in silence as Chris waited and Allison tried to process what had happened to her and what had been done to her. She felt cold, like putting a hand to a frosted window and couldn't help but burrow her feet further into her covers.

"Why?" She couldn't even look at him, she was so filled with, something. Rage, sadness, grief, pity?

"I couldn't lose you." His voice was quiet and calm as she progressively got louder and angrier.

"So you had Scott turn me into this!" She held out her arm, drops of blood falling onto her sheets.

"If you're going to blame anyone for this then blame me. Scott didn't want to bite you." He watched as she curved into herself, tucking a hand around her middle, angling her back towards him, a protective stance, a wounded response.

"He could have said no." She wanted him to leave, to forget what he'd told her. To go back to sleep and forget anything was different, that she was different.

"Allison if he'd said no I might have held a gun to his head just to get him to agree." He sounded broken. But she didn't care. She'd gone into the fight as human and had come out as something else, with no choice in the matter. And worst of all she could feel the itch on her arm, wanted to rip the wound right out, amputate the limb if need be, anything to get her away from what it meant.

"I'm tired," she mumbled.

"Allison I'm sorry you're upset but I won't apologize for saving your life." Chris sighed and stood up. "You're all I have left. And if it means anything, I love you and I would do it again."

_Get out._ And in that moment as he turned and left, closing the door behind him, all she wanted was her father. She wanted him to hug her and tell her things would be alright. But how could they be? She wasn't the same. And at the moment she only felt something akin to betrayal. So she was alone again, left with the sinking truth that everything could only be different from now on. _There's no going back._ Wiping a stray tear from her cheek she pursed her lips and just tried to focus on breathing. Meditation was supposed to be a calming activity, one that brought clarity. But all she felt was anxious.

Fed up with her room and her dad and the situation, she swung her legs off the bed and made to stand, almost falling to the floor. Plopping back on the mattress she found her feet had no intention of cooperating with her. Instead they were more like wet sand, heavy and unstable. Instead she basically dragged herself to her closet, pulling out the closest jacket she could reach and made sure to pull it over the currently gaping wound on her arm.

She wrenched open her door, only to find Isaac standing in front of her. He sheepishly smiled but she had no intention of returning the gesture. Instead she brushed past him, face set in a cold grimace.

"Allison?"

His voice loud and jarring, she ignored him in her attempt to reach the front door.

"Allison wait!"

He reached out and grabbed her arm. For one moment she looked up at his face, full of concern and worry before she ripped out of his grip and almost fell into the wall before she made it to the door. The handle was cool against her palm and for just a moment she rested her forehead on the moulding.

"You can't leave. You're-" He looked down to the blood trail she was leaving, picking up scents of fear and anger.

"I **am** leaving so don't you dare try and stop me." Without a backwards glance Allison unlocked the door and stepped into the hall, stumbling her way towards the elevator, blocking out whatever pleas Isaac might be making.

It was only when she stepped inside and the doors closed that she let herself lean into the corner. As she sank to the floor the entire weight of what had happened bowed her down and a desperate sob left her mouth. One moment and it was all gone. She started bawling and couldn't stop. Shaking and gasping for breath she grieved over what had been. It was a little death but it had meant something, her human life, and it had been over far too soon.


	3. Chapter 3

When the elevator doors opened Allison stared up, expecting to be confronted with the visage of another person. Thankfully she was wrong and instead stumbled into the empty corridor, not bothering to wipe the tears trailing down her cheeks. What was the point? It didn't matter if she was seen or what she looked like. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Stopping momentarily at the entrance to the building, she rested her hand on the door, staring down at her fingers, imagining them adorned with claws. _Would it hurt?_ She didn't even know when the next full moon was, biting her lip in frustration. She'd stopped keeping track sometime after Gerard had gone off the deep end and before her new code. Her eyes strayed to where the bite was, hidden under her jacket. It didn't really hurt; it was just…warm and kind of itchy. For a moment she felt a flash of heat travel up her arm and her vision fuzzed, her ears ringing. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to hold onto the door handle, fingers gripping tight. _Was this how it started with Scott?_

Everything in the lobby felt close. She could hear the motor of the elevator whirring somewhere behind her and the sound of water rushing through pipes in the walls. Slowly the sounds grew louder, folding around and against her. She felt a pressure behind her eyes and next to her ears, at first like a small pinch that soon became an ache like a fresh bruise. Breathing through the pain she pushed on the door, desperate to get away, nearly tripping as she stepped onto the sidewalk. She had been wrong, this was worse. A wall of sound crashed up against her senses as she crouched for fear of falling over. Hands to her ears, she whimpered, unable to stem the flow of noises bombarding her. And the sun. Full and bright like a blinding flare in the darkness she screwed her eyes shut against it. Her nose too was flooded with all manner of strangeness, from hot asphalt to garbage, sweat and deodorant, coffee and leather. In that one moment she was all too full with everything. The world had rushed at her and she felt as if she was going to burst.

Bile sat in the back of her throat as she put one hand on the ground to steady herself, feeling every pit and imperfection in the concrete against her skin. Gulping air like water she tried to regulate her breathing, a wave of dizziness washing over her. For several moments she didn't move, focussing inward until the rest of world disappeared piece by piece and only she remained, her heart beating rapidly but steadily. For all that she had complained about meditating, she was happy he'd taught her how. _Dad._

Her heart clenched at the thought of him. The bite wasn't the only fresh wound she'd suffered and now, now she had to figure this out on her own. She let out a shaky breath and stood, her stomach still a little jumpy as she brought a hand up to shade her face and slowly opened her eyes. It was still too sharp as she squinted down at her shoes, tempted to run back inside and face the pipes and elevator all over again. Slowly though, everything grew softer as if someone had the sun on a dimmer switch. The pain behind her eyes vanished, leaving her free to raise her head and look around. Nothing looked any different. There were people walking by, chatting on cellphones, listening to music, drinking from coffee cups. No one was staring at her in fear or revulsion; no one was even looking in her direction. She was amongst them and they didn't even know what she was. _Hiding in plain sight._

And though she knew there was no reason to be anxious, that her father meant her no harm, that they were the only hunters in town, a small scared voice settled in the back of her mind. It had been a constant companion when dealing with all matters werewolf, warning her, scolding her for taking risks, telling her to listen to her training. Now though it told her to run, run from these people and their smells and find somewhere dark and warm and safe, somewhere with deep water and large trees and high places to look down on the world. The thought of such a place felt…satisfying though she was unsure as to why. Behind her a bell rang and in a moment her senses were filled with something familiar and yet entirely alien.

"Allison."

She turned to see Isaac, a pained look on his face, standing hesitantly in the doorway. But it wasn't just him; she could smell him, see the pores on his face, the sweat beading at his temples. It was as if she'd never really **looked** at him before and yet still somehow recognized what he was underneath it all. If she closed her eyes she suspected she would still be able to vaguely tell where he was.

"Allison please."

She couldn't deny that she sensed his tension, from the set of his shoulders to the grimace on his face, for all that they had shared before but…everything was different now and she just wanted to leave. The small voice inside urged her to run. He might be familiar but he wanted her to go back, back to a place she no longer trusted.

"I can't," she whispered, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks again.

He made no reply, only stood silently watching as she turned and walked away. She listened but he made no move to follow this time, his heartbeat retreating into the crowd of pedestrians as she made her way down the street. It took several blocks of avoiding eye contact and hugging the side of buildings before she would allow herself to believe she was alone.

For a while she wandered, aimless but determined. Every so often she'd stop and stare at someone or sniff the air or put her hand to her head and grimace. It was an overwhelming experience. The town **looked** familiar but everything felt new and strange. And that little voice wouldn't stop urging her to run.

Eventually she found herself headed out of downtown and towards the suburbs. Despite her shoes she felt every pebble, every crack, every uneven bit of ground, serving to unbalance her every so often. And her bite was itching, buzzing with heat every time she stopped to absorb all the new sensations she was feeling. Movement seemed to help so she never stopped in one place for too long, until eventually she found herself standing in front of a familiar home, though it had never felt so intimidating before.

She felt like an idiot ringing the doorbell and resisted to urge to press her hand over the bite. But she had to know and waited for what felt like an age, scuffing her shoes on the welcome mat, listening for movement from inside. She stiffened when she heard footsteps padding quietly towards her, not knowing whom they belonged to.

The door slowly opened to reveal Lydia, her face expressing something akin to shock and joy. Her eyes watered as she took one big step forward and threw her arms around her best friend, standing on tiptoe, her fingers clutching at Allison. The redhead let out a silent sob and the two held tight to one another, not wanting to let go for fear that it was all a dream. Allison relaxed into the embrace, allowing herself to be soothed by the calming presence of her friend.

It was Lydia who pulled back first, her eyes darting over Allison's face with worry, not yet daring to ask for an explanation. Allison smiled weakly, noting the circles under Lydia's eyes, the drawn look on her face, the unkempt hair. Lydia returned the look but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Both left things unspoken as they entered the house, walking upstairs. Allison held back from fiddling with her jacket sleeve as they stepped into the bedroom, only to see Lydia watching her.

"Are you…"

"I'm fine. And you're…"

"Fine."

It was a lie but Allison suspected that pointing it out wouldn't do any good. The brilliant and bubbly woman she knew was absent and in her place was this forlorn-looking shadow with a sad tone in her voice. There was no doubt her mood was in some way connected to the nogitsune.

A gap of silence opened up between them as Lydia sat on the bed while Allison fought the urge to scratch her arm. It was taking all of her concentration just to stand still as her skin prickled beneath the fabric.

"Do you want something to drink?" Lydia offered half-heartedly. Allison shook her head, trying to distract herself by taking in all the smells that permeated the room. Lydia sighed.

"This is ridiculous. We should be able to talk about it. I mean, I was kidnapped, you were stabbed, a fox spirit tried to kill us."

_She doesn't know._

Allison frowned, wondering how many people knew the truth and why they hadn't told Lydia. Secrets were dangerous though and as much as she wanted to hide it, to pretend it hadn't happened, everyone was going to find out eventually. So instead of perpetuating the lie, she slowly pulled up her sleeve to reveal the bite, still oozing blood and looking generally unpleasant. Lydia's eyes went wide and for a long minute she said nothing before looking up to meet her eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Allison couldn't help but nod.

Without a word Lydia stood and left the room, leaving a floral scent behind along with a very confused Allison. Was that it then? Was another supernatural friend one too many? She stared down at her arm, silently cursing it for having cost her so much. She moved to leave, only to find herself blocked by Lydia, carrying what looked like a toiletries kit, unzipping it to pull out a gauze pad, bandages and scissors.

"My mom will kill me if you drip all over the carpet."

Allison looked up, wide-eyed and surprised. Lydia gave her a pointed look, assuming she doubted her abilities.

"Do you plan on wrapping that bite one-handed? I don't think so."

"You don't have to." Allison tried to wave off the offer but Lydia was insistent.

"I passed First Aid with flying colours Allison, top marks in the class; I know what I'm doing."

Allison watched and waited as Lydia bound up the bite once more, gentle hands wrapping the bandage around her arm, securing it.

"So..."

"So…"

"How's your dad taking it?" Lydia gestured down to the bite. She didn't expect Mr. Argent had taken it well for all that he loved Allison. Despite recently changing his ways, he'd hunted and killed werewolves in the past and it was difficult to believe he would miraculously accept his daughter had become one.

Allison plucked at the bedspread, unwilling to look Lydia in the eye. She wasn't ready to talk about how she'd run out of the house, how her father had...

"He's fine."

Lydia narrowed her eyes.

"What really happened? Why did Scott bite you?"

Of course she would know it was Scott. It couldn't have been anyone else. Allison sat down next to Lydia, staring at the carpet as she let the words pour out.

"I don't really remember much. We were fighting the Oni and there was one right in front of me. I didn't bring my bow up in time to block him and felt this pain," she mimed down towards her torso. "He must have stabbed me and I passed out. I woke up at home and Dad admitted he asked Scott to bite me."

"Oh."

Silence against reigned as the two sunk into their awareness of the situation. Nothing and yet everything had changed. Their conversation was stilted, Allison was jumpy, Lydia was quiet. In just two short days, the firm confidence they had once known and expressed had vanished like so much dust in a windstorm. Somewhere downstairs a clock chimed the hour, seconds ticking by as they sat side by side, trying to absorb it all.

"Lydia?"

"Hmm?" She only appeared to be half-listening, her brow furrowed in concentration, gaze fixed at a point on the wall.

"Why didn't anyone tell you what happened?"

"I don't know. I mean, I… I felt you die and then you…well obviously you didn't. I **thought **something weird was going on because I'm never wrong about dead bodies but Isaac said you were going to be fine. And then your dad took you home. I tried to visit but they kept saying you were asleep."

"Maybe I did die."

Lydia tilted her head and frowned.

"I'm serious. I mean I'm not human anymore. I don't really know what I am anymore." Allison pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them. Lydia leaned over, resting her head on a shoulder.

"At least you have useful powers," she mumbled. "I just get to scream at people."

Allison wrapped her arm around her friend.

"I'll switch with you. Anytime."

That's when Allison's stomach decided to make an entrance, burbling loudly in hungry protest. They both looked at each other and burst out laughing, loud and throaty. It felt good though and Allison couldn't help but be grateful for Lydia who pulled her off the bed.

"Let's get you something to eat."

Dashing into the kitchen the two cooked up some grilled cheese sandwiches and pounded back a few stray juice boxes they found in the fridge. Then, after Allison kept sneezing because the pepper shaker was close at hand, they spent the next hour or so, testing her nose with a variety of condiments ranging from pickled onions to horseradish that Lydia hid around the house. One would have called it an experiment; the other would have said it was a distraction.

Much later they were ensconced on the couch, watching a rerun of America's Next Top Model, devouring a bowl of pretzels when Allison turned to the redhead.

"What happened after?"

"After?" Lydia looked up in confusion from the photo competition.

"You got the nogitsune out of Stiles right?"

"Yeah and it's trapped now, hopefully forever."

"And everyone's, ok?" She hated to ask but she knew something was wrong. Lydia wouldn't have looked so haunted otherwise. The two sat there for a long while before she spoke, eyes focussed on the tv.

"Stiles is…He hasn't been the same. He tries to joke around but I think he's internalizing his guilt. And Aidan, he…he died."

She squeaked out the last part, as if it were difficult to voice. And Allison could see her friend shaking, hear the rapid beat of her heart. She had never cared much for the twins, as they'd caused chaos with the Alpha Pack and mischief afterwards. But she knew Lydia had cared about Aiden and so for that she was sorry. But before she could reach out and offer condolences, the doorbell rang. As one they turned towards the sound, though Allison was far more apprehensive, subconsciously leaning towards the door, listening for who was on the other side as Lydia moved to answer it without a second thought.

"Scott." Lydia sounded surprised to see the boy waiting on her doorstep.

Allison flinched, looking around for a way to escape back up to Lydia's room without having to walk past the front door. Realizing she was trapped she sunk further into the couch, trying to hide. One of the last people she wanted to see right now, besides her dad, was Scott.

"Is Allison here?" He tried to peer past the petite banshee, forcing Lydia to stand on tiptoe, bracing her hands on either side of the doorframe.

"What makes you think she's here?"

"Isaac called me. Said she was awake."

"And he said she was here?" Lydia raised an eyebrow.

Scott seemed decidedly uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"No. Not really. I went to her apartment first. And then I sort of, followed her here."

"You tracked her!" Lydia crossed her arms, glaring at Scott who had the good sense to look guiltily down at his shoes.

"We're just worried about her."

"Tell you what. **If** I see her I'll her you stopped by."

"Lydia." Scott tried to stare her down. Lydia just rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you go talk to Stiles. He'd probably like a visit from you." With that she shut the door in his face and walked back to the den to find Allison huddled in a corner of the couch looking tense.

"Don't worry I sent him away. Is it that bad?"

"I just, don't want to talk to him right now." Allison absently touched her bandage. "Hey would it be alright if I stayed, for a little while?"

Lydia smiled.

"I'll ask my mom but I'm sure it's fine. You can borrow a set of pjs and we can have a slumber party. Like old times."

Later that night after stuffing themselves with sweet and salty popcorn and watching a Ryan Gosling marathon that Lydia had insisted on, Allison was curled up on an inflatable mattress, trying to will herself to sleep. The problem was her thoughts seemed more active than ever, starting at every unknown noise both inside and out. It was sometime in the a.m. before she finally drifted off.

When she next opened her eyes she found herself in a forest. For a moment Allison believed she'd somehow wandered outside but there were no landmarks, no city lights, no buildings. All was dark and still with a sliver of moon in the sky, illuminating everything around her in a dim light. She scanned the area, apprehension taking hold of her heart. There was something familiar about this place and yet she had no memory of it.

A strange pattern on a nearby tree caught her eye, looking less like bark and more like a design. As she reached out to touch it, she found claws on her hands where her nails should have been. Recoiling in panic she looked to her other hand, finding it mirrored the first. There were no fangs or pointed ears to complete the set but all the same, it was disconcerting. They were smooth to the touch and likely sharp. She looked to the tree again, as if to score a set of marks down the trunk but found the surface too smooth and the pattern on the bark something more akin to writing.

_I _**_have_**_ been here before._

She was sure of it but couldn't quite remember, as if a fog had settled over her brain. Everything was muted and vague, with all the details blurred out. For a moment it was like she was standing on the edge of something, as if the answer was close at hand but the feeling slipped away before she could make anything of it. The tree however, became more distinct and writing sharper and more defined. It was one long spiralling line with just one word repeated over and over, "lupus".

She would have reached out to touch it, if not for a sound somewhere far behind her. It was unintelligible even with her enhanced hearing but grew steadily closer, a mixture of voices speaking all at once without uttering distinct words, creating a constant murmur. She turned to see where it was coming from but she was seemingly alone. A cold breeze pushed at her hair, raising goose bumps along her neck.

"Allison," a silky voice whispered in her ear, so close she swore she felt their breath on her neck. Backing up against the tree she looked from side to side, seeing nothing and no one. That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw Kate, a sneer plastered on her face.

"Hello traitor."


	4. Chapter 4

She woke with a start, her hand clutching at her neck, the remembrance of claws fresh at the front of her mind. Closing her eyes she tried to control her breathing, reaching for that calm she always used to find, stretching, searching and finding no relief. But she could hear the _tick tick tick _from the bedside clock and it wheedled at her, hovering in the background like a constant distraction. At least it didn't look like she'd woken Lydia. The redhead was sprawled across her bed, eyemask miraculously still in place though her hair was a mess.

Allison looked to the ceiling. She had been dreaming, she knew that much. But trying to remember was like grabbing hold of fog. Frowning in frustration she threw back her covers. It was the middle of November and yet she was overwarm. Closing her eyes she felt the cool air on her skin, like stepping into a cold shower after a long run.

The utter dark told her it was still night and Lydia's clock kept ticking away. Allison sat up and squinted across the bed. Surprisingly she was able to make out the time. _3 am?_ She flopped back onto the mattress, unhappy and wide awake. Her dream had been disturbing enough to wake her up but it was dust on the wind and no amount of thinking would bring it back.

Looking down to the bandage on her arm she was noticed it didn't itch anymore. There was a solid desire to peel back the tape but she spared a glance at Lydia and then the carpet. Thinking better of it she slipped out the door and down a darkened hallway to the bathroom, the floor creaking under each footfall.

Flicking on the light, a faint buzz above her head had her squinting and covering her eyes at the sudden brightness. The mirror revealed a pale, drawn face. Squinting at her visage Allison scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue at her reflection. In response her eyes blazed amber and she was so startled she stepped back in alarm and almost fell into the bathtub. Disturbed and cranky she turned around, facing away from the mirror before she reached down to her bandage and picked at the tape, pushing her fingernail under the adhesive and pulling back the bandage. It dragged at her skin as it came away with the sweet kind of pain that disappears in moments. She blinked hard at seeing the smooth skin underneath, playing her fingertips lightly up and down the spot where Scott had… Allison grit her teeth. There was no evidence of the bite, no sign that anything had happened. And yet she knew better.

Frowning at the offending bandage she threw it in the garbage and stared down at it for a moment before ripping off a handful of toilet paper and wadding it up to throw on top, hiding the bloody evidence from any prying eyes. She could still smell it though, the sharp copper scent clouding her nose. She gave the can a small kick before turning heel and walking straight back to bed.

No amount of wishing would make her fall back asleep though. So instead she tossed from side to side conscious of how her new skin felt against her clothing, against her sheets. She lay there waiting for sunrise, unsure what she was supposed to do next.

.O.

"So they've returned? I thought we'd been told they were all dead." A man with a bushy beard sat with steepled hands, a frown on his face.

"Almost all." A stern-looking man leaning on a cane stood in front of a stone hearth that crackled with heat.

A large dour-looking group lined a long table that was too large for the room. Most had been looking on with boredom and indifference until the most recent news item. Everyone had perked up with either interest or concern, turning to the front for more information. Outside a snowstorm battered against heavy windows, flurries spiralling out into the dark. Occasionally the hall creaked as the heavy wooden beams contracted and settled against the cold.

"Is anyone else concerned we were given incorrect information?" A woman leaning against the nearest wall spit out her question in anger as she absently sharpened a slim dagger.

"It's entirely possible it was done on purpose. At this point we don't know why." The bearded man sat back in his chair.

A variety of voices filled the void talking over one another, standing, shouting, their faces angry and worried.

"This is what happens when you trust someone else to do our job."

"I always said we should have sent a group out there. It's too important an area to go unmonitored."

"Why are we just hearing about this?"

The bearded man stood, holding up his hands, staring down those who were shouting and waited. When everyone was finally seated again he spoke.

"The point is we know now. We only have to decide what to do next. Was there anything else Alden?"

The man with the cane carefully glanced at the room before clearing his throat. "There have been a few…additions. Made not born unfortunately." He flinched at what was coming next.

"What!" The woman with the dagger stood up from the wall, her eyes blazing.

"Terra just wait," the bearded man cautioned. "We only have the barest of details. When we know more we can decide what to do. Until then we have to wait."

She threw up her hands, disgust writ clear on her face as she yelled at him. "This is exactly what I told you would happen if we abandoned that place. The rabble would move in and cause trouble. The only problem is it's our own run amok, a mess we could have prevented and now have to clean up." She started swearing in Dutch under her breath, clenching and unclenching her hands.

He drew himself up to his full height, towering over everyone in the room, brow knit together in anger as he responded in kind.

"You know as I do how long we've been stretched thin. Who could we have pulled back then? Were you prepared to break up families for the sake of a practical backwater?"

"A backwater with god damn leys running through it you idiot!" She had the sense to look guilty at her outburst but didn't apologize. In fact she said nothing at all and instead set her mouth in a grim line and tried to stare him down.

He sighed and sensed the divide in the room. Many were shifting in their chairs or watching him with concern.

"Alden is your source reliable?" The man gave a curt nod. "Then my suggestion is to gather more information. We'll meet back here in one month and make decisions then. Does anyone have any questions?"

The group in front of him grumbled but made no comment. He turned pointedly to Terra and waited for her to blow up.

"Fine! But if this ends up bringing the damn frogs down on us it's on you Mathus!" She stepped forward and slammed her blade into the wood of the table before turning and stomping out of the hall.

Mathus watched her go before pulling the dagger free, leaving a hole behind in the wood. Drawing a finger over the damage he nodded to the group as they slowly stood and said their goodbyes. They had their own problems to deal with and exchanged a few words between one another before departing quickly. As the rest of the group exited the room Alden pulled him aside.

"Sir there were some other issues I wished to bring to your attention but I felt it would be best not to discuss them in front of the council."

Mathus pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the headache behind his eyes growing worse. "More bad news I take it?"

"Not necessarily sir.

"Tell me over a drink. I think I'm going to need it if this keeps up. Oh and Alden? I need you to arrange to have the table sanded again."

"Certainly sir."

The two departed the hall in search of a single malt scotch. Outside the wind continued, blowing through bare branches and piling snow into deep drifts, howling through the mountains and over frozen ponds and rivers.

.O.

Morning came with a slowly brightening glow that lit up the room. Allison shifted on the mattress, having drifted off sometime after removing her bandage. A clock chimed and Lydia stirred, pulled her mask off with a groan. She sat up, throwing the accessory at her mirror and yawned before turning to her friend.

"Did you sleep?"

Allison pulled a tight smiled and shook her head. "Good news though." She held up her arm to show the bite had disappeared. She could at least pretend to be positive about the situation, just as Lydia was pretending for her. This was despite the fact that she felt a growing desire to shoot Scott in the ass with her bow. After all, she wasn't walking around with an open wound anymore. No, she was just basically back from the dead like a zombie.

Lydia pursed her lips. "Small victories I guess. Tell you what, you hop in the shower and I'll see about getting you some clothes." Before Allison could protest she held up a hand. "I'm well aware that we are not the same size. You are an Amazon to my petite frame; I don't need reminding. Don't worry I'll find something appropriate." There was no arguing with her so Allison meekly acquiesced and slunk off to the bathroom.

The water was a steady distraction, the loud drum of water against tile drowned out anything else in the world. For a good five minutes she just leaned against the wall and let the spray wash over her, absorbing the sensations against her skin until she could at least tolerate it without flinching. The only soap available was a pungent disc that smelled of artificial flowers. Holding her breath she was sure to scrub every inch of herself, careful to avoid the patch of new skin as if afraid it would peel away. She only paused when she realized she was literally washing away another piece of her old life. She had to smile though. _Rebirth in my best friend's shower. Weird._

In fact her life had been nothing but weird since she'd moved to Beacon Hills. But it had become normal. And lately the normal things had started to feel out of place. After all what good were chemical equations and the rhyme scheme of a sonnet when there were creatures out there that wanted to rip your throat out? Allison groaned and thumped her head against the wall at the thought of school. She was **not** looking forward to that particular obligation. A sharp rap on the door startled her out of her gloom.

"I put some clothes outside the door. And trust me when I say it's the longest one I could find that was still clean."

Allison raised an eyebrow and stepped from the shower, dripping all over the floor. She quickly unlocked the door and stuck an arm out, feeling around for the clothes before pulling the bundle back inside.

The skirt actually wasn't the problem. It was actually kind of cute all covered with little hearts. The top was really her main concern. It was a little tight and not exactly the way she would usually dress. Then she tried to do something with her hair in Lydia's mirror but just ended up finger-combing it. She didn't even feel up to 'putting on a face' though Lydia had told her to use whatever she wanted from her makeup collection. The day hadn't even started and she already wanted it be over.

Coming down to breakfast she received a nod from Mrs. Martin who was deep into a cup of coffee that made her smell sharp and bitter. Lydia already had two smoothies made, ready and waiting and was scrolling through world news reports on her phone. She gave one look at Allison's bust and grinned.

"I thought you could use a little pick-me-up when we get to school. A little attention from some hot seniors can really help take the edge off." She smiled to herself as if in remembrance of past deeds.

"Lydia." Her mom's warning tone included a raised eyebrow at the direction of the conversation.

"Oh they're harmless." Lydia frowned. "Besides they're for looking not touching."

Allison grimaced as she thought about Isaac and how she'd left things with him. It was still painful to think about. Too fresh in fact and she wasn't exactly looking for attention. Not right now anyway. She had too many things on her mind. Maybe she'd just wear her coat the whole day.

"And I thought we could go shopping after school since you don't have any clothes here. Think of it as retail therapy."

She had left in kind of a hurry. Had it really only been yesterday? Sighing into her smoothie she hadn't really though out this temporary fix. She had no clothes, no textbooks and she couldn't just move into Lydia's place. She was going to have to go back.

Allison downed the smoothie in a few gulps, realizing how ravenous she was. It was cold and not exactly filling but Lydia was already on the move. Mrs. Martin grabbed a stack of file folders and ushered the two girls into the car. The drive was uneventful. Lydia was spouting off about the comparisons between the math programs at MIT and Princeton to her mom. Allison just stared out the window, watching the streets whiz by. All the people became blurs and all the cars became blobs, smushed into concentrations of colour.

At school the hallways looked the same. Her locker looked the same. The place even smelled the same, sour and musty. She purposely neglected to remove her jacket and as she had her first period alone so she parted ways with Lydia and wandered down the hallway to history. It didn't even occur to her that she had no idea how long she'd been unconscious before she plopped down in her seat and saw the date written on the board. Three days. Three whole days she'd been gone.

It was a strange thing to find that the world had gone on without her, being much the same with only herself having changed. She sat contemplating that reality for most of class, unable to focus on the teacher or take any notes as she had no textbook, no paper and no pen. Staring out the window she saw a garbage truck trundle by in front of the school, potholes rattling the vehicle as loud as if she was standing right next to it. Flinching in her seat she wished she could just plug her ears or turn it off. And she'd never really realized how much her fellow students reeked, occasionally scratching her nose in annoyance. Fidgeting amongst all this new stimulation she started tapping her leg on the floor, focusing on that noise, that motion, trying to drown out everything else.

Up at the front of the class Mrs. Peterson was sitting against the front of her desk, casually holding the textbook in her hands, talking about Edmund Burke's speech to the House of Commons in 1775 when he urged them to reconcile with the American colonies.

"He supported the colonist in their grievances against the government of King George III. In part of a speech he delivered to Parliament he said 'If we are conscious of our station, and glow with zeal to fill our places as becomes our situation and ourselves, we ought to auspicate all our public proceedings on America with the old warning of the Church, _Sursum corda! _We ought to elevate our minds to the greatness of that trust to which the order of Providence has called us. By adverting to the dignity of this high calling, our ancestors have turned a savage wilderness into a glorious empire'. What do you think he meant by that?"

As per usual no one raised their hand, a rather glazed look having overcome them at this point, halfway through the class. So instead Mrs. Peterson decided to choose someone at random and her gaze zeroed in on one person.

"Miss Argent?"

Allison's leg stopped; her head snapped up at her name, eyes wide. She looked at Mrs. Peterson in confusion.

"I…don't know." With all eyes on her she felt exposed, the blush of shame washing over her face as the teacher stared her down.

"For those of you who _were_ listening," Mrs. Peterson let her annoyed look pass over the rest of the students, "Mr. Burke thought that whatever position the Members of Parliament found themselves in that they should do their utmost." As she continued to unwrap the quote Allison's thoughts strayed until she nearly jumped out of her seat when the bell rang.

The rest of the morning continued much in the same pattern. She sat through classes almost in a daze, distracted by sound and smell, catching every other word her teachers said until the lunch bell signalled an end to the repetitive torture. Of course she had no purse and thus no money to buy lunch. Sighing in defeat she walked back to her locker to wait for Lydia, hoping she could bum half a sandwich off of someone. Leaning against the metal door she heard half a dozen conversations ranging from right in front of her to down the hall, all blaring in her ear at once, a cacophony of sound. Digging her nails into her thigh she closed her eyes and tried to practice her breathing exercises, imagining a target in front of her. She focussed on her heartbeat, willing the steady thump to slow to an even rhythm.

"Hey sleepy, ready for lunch?"

Lydia appeared, pulling her out of the state she'd tried to settle into. At least now she had a distraction from everything going on around her. The redhead dumped her textbooks in her locker, slamming the door before blowing a stray strand of hair of her face.

"Lunch's on me today. Let's hope they have something halfway edible that hasn't been deep fried." She linked her arm through Allison's and dragged her friend off to the cafeteria.

The line was long and the weather kept them from sitting outside at their usual table. Instead they were trapped inside at one of the long tables with the hard plastic chairs. Together they picked out a meal that consisted of chocolate milk, a fruit cup, a helping of green beans and a lump of lasagna. Both girls skipped straight to the fruit cup and were about to dig in when Allison spotted Scott across the room. She tensed. He was staring right at her, waving and smiling as he walked towards them.

"Crap." She muttered under her breath, pretending her fruit cup was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room, separating the peach chunks so she could eat them all at once.

Lydia looked over, spotting the source of Allison's cursing. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. We can leave right now. Just tell me and we can go."

Allison shook her head. "No it's fine." She'd have to face him eventually, have to talk to him, have to deal with how she felt about the entire situation. Avoiding it was only going to make things worse and she'd already dodged him at Lydia's. She might as well get it over with now, hoping it would be like ripping off a band aid where the anticipation was worse than the actual experience.

Scott walked up to the edge of the table and just stood there, tapping his fist against his pants, waiting to be acknowledged. He bore an awkward smile, glancing at Lydia before turning to Allison.

"Hi."

She looked up at him, forcing a smile and nodding as she stuffed a spoonful of cherries in her mouth.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure," she gulped out, eyes flicking to Lydia who was poking her green beans, offering a quick smile of reassurance.

Plopping down onto a hard plastic chair he turned to Allison. "Are you alright? Your dad wouldn't let any of us see you. Isaac and said you were asleep the whole time." His eyes flicked down to her arm.

She felt like squirming in her seat. Worst of all she could hear how fast his heart was beating. And by the way he was watching her it was almost as if he knew she was listening. He smelled like soap and aftershave and peanut butter. Probably a remnant of breakfast. But while his scent was familiar it was also putting her on edge, a reminder of what exactly had happened between the two of them a few nights ago.

"I'm fine. Where's everyone else?" She looked for Kira and Stiles and Isaac but didn't see them.

"I thought I should come and talk to you alone first. Because if you need…if you need help or advice or anything you can just ask."

"Ok." He looked kind of desperate but it was a familiar expression. She'd seen that puppy-dog look before and it used to be cute. It was still kind of cute. But the reason behind it just made her want to punch him or yell at him. And the more she thought about it the more she wanted to stop thinking about it. "I'm just gonna go throw out my garbage." She stood robotically, half her lunch uneaten, her grip tight on her tray as she walked towards the other end of the cafeteria. Well at least now she knew she was a hypocrite, wanting to confront the problem only to end up avoiding it by leaving.

She was better than this, she knew that. The past year had opened her eyes to what she was truly capable of and while it hadn't been all good she wasn't normally the type to run away from a fight. Even if that fight happened to be with an ex and the fight was over turning her into a werewolf. Had she really become that big a mess in such a short time? She was setting a bad example as an Argent, a student and probably as a werewolf.

As she dumped her lunch and dropped her tray off, feeling somewhat depressed about the entire situation she looked over to the cafeteria clock. Three more hours. It felt like an interminable stretch of time. Even lunch was only half over. Glancing back to the table she saw Scott and Lydia apparently deep in conversation, their heads bent together. It was clear they were arguing from the concern on their faces.

Enjoying the lack of confrontation and not wanting to jump back in right away she thought she'd try to use one the things that had been bothering her all day, her enhanced hearing. Scott made it sound easy to pinpoint and track sound but actually focussing in on a subject was a lot more difficult than she thought. First she tried squinting. Then clenching her hands, unsure how exactly it was triggered. At the point of giving herself a migraine or a hernia she simply stared at the two of them, wishing she'd learned to lip read. And then, like searching through static for a radio station she started to catch a few words here and there. From their tone Lydia was being terse while Scott just sounded sad. She tilted her head, trying to force the rest of the world to melt away.

"…my responsibility."

"….never…Scott. She…herself."

It was enormously frustrating trying to piece everything together from a few words. She could tell Scott was asking for Lydia's help and that she wasn't happy with him but beyond that it was all gibberish. But then after watching them for a while everything started to come in clear as a bell, like zeroing in on a signal.

"Not with this. She's going to need help."

"I'm sure if she needs your help she'll ask. But until then you need to give her time. She's dealing with a lot."

"We're all dealing with a lot Lydia." He shifted in his seat, his tone controlled but bordering on frustrated. "But I'm not going to let her go through her first full moon alone. And it's not just because I care about her. She could hurt someone if she doesn't have help."

"She woke up a day ago to find out that her entire life is different Scott. I'm pretty sure you can understand that." Lydia sat back, crossing her arms.

It was then Allison decided she didn't really want to go back to the table. Not if it meant having to pretend she hadn't been eavesdropping. She wouldn't be able to fake it, not with how she was already feeling. But she'd already run away from them; she didn't want to do it again. It wasn't what she'd been taught and if she was able to hold onto anything from her life before, she hoped it would be her training. So instead she took a deep breath and turned, jaw clenched as she marched back to the table, ignoring how the conversation ceased as soon as she got within earshot. Scott looked guilty, his head bowed, looking down at his hands. Lydia just looked angry, lips pursed, eyes glaring.

Glancing between the two of them and their terrible poker faces she sat and looked at the clock again. Time wasn't moving backwards though it was going slowly enough. The silence at the table stretched into an uncomfortable weight, leaving the three of them staring off in various directions. Allison sighed. She might as well just get it out of the way. The realities of living as werewolf couldn't be avoided. Besides, if she talked about it then maybe her friends would stop talking about her behind her back and she could go back to trying to figure out what she was supposed to do next.

"So when's the next full moon?" Her voice was shaky and nervous as she blurted out the question.

She heard Scott's heart stutter and he looked askance at her. "It's ah, in about two weeks." He looked at Lydia, who pointedly ignored him by pulling out a mirror and checking if her lipstick needed a touch up, before turning back to Allison. "Did you, have you already made plans?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. I haven't even really thought about it." She could feel the anxiety within her growing, feel her heart speed up. She hadn't chosen any of this and yet he appeared unphased by the entire situation. He'd practically brought her back from the dead by biting her and had seemingly already adjusted to the new reality they were living in.

He gave her a faint but nervous smile. "I'm just glad you're okay. And if you need, I mean I'm here if you need me, if you have questions or anything. You're pack now."

_But I'm not okay. _"No Scott. I'm not. I'm not pack." Allison shook her head. She could see the confusion on his face but felt no guilt for putting it there. The bubbling energy that had unnerved her since she'd left the elevator yesterday was threatening to get the best of her.

"Allison it's ok." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We just, we want to help."

She flinched at his touch, hunching over in her chair, shoulders rigid, heart beating loud and frantic in her ears.

"You can't. You already bit me." She couldn't even look bring herself to meet his gaze but she felt him pull back, felt her words sink in.

"Allison it's not his fault." Lydia hissed over the table before glancing around to see if anyone had heard them.

"Do you remember what happened to my mom?" She was fighting back tears. "She got bitten and then she killed herself. Do you have any idea how I felt when I woke up and realized I was in the exact same situation but it was because of my dad?" She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks now, there was no stopping it.

The fear and anger and confusion of the past few days crashed down on her like a wave, flooding her mind and drowning out all thought of logic and reason. She was angry at Scott for biting her, at her dad for making him do it, at her mom for dying and she was mad at herself for what could be easily termed 'lack of composure'. She'd been trained to exude grace under fire but this situation was proving too much to handle. Instead she felt an inner voice telling her to get out and run, to protect herself. The bell clanged, signalling the end of lunch and she practically jumped in her chair, closing her eyes as she starting to breathe hard.

Scott leaned towards her, speaking in a soft slow voice "Allison you can't wolf out here. You need to calm down." His voice was muted though, as if he was speaking to her through a door.

"I can't Scott." His eyes widened as she turned to look at him, her eyes glowing amber.

She tried to slow her breathing, to focus on mind but a stream of students was walking past her, loud and laughing as they headed back to class. Someone bumped into her chair, pinning her to the table, a sharp pinch to her torso and she felt a sudden need to lash out. Struggling to extricate herself from the hard plastic chair and stand, she shut her eyes and tried to move into the crowd and escape. Before she could though, Scott clamped down on her arm and pulled her back. He stood, maneuvering her closer to Lydia, doing his best to block her from any prying eyes that might have seen something strange.

"Just wait. We'll wait for the crowd to thin and then we'll take you out of here."

She was practically vibrating under his hand, waiting for the tide to pass her by. But every moment made it more difficult to stand still when every muscle was telling her to run. And it was getting harder to breathe.

"Scott."

She wasn't going to last waiting here with only him to hold her back, his fingers pressing down against her skin, not tight enough to keep her still. It would be easy to break his hand. She could do it in a few seconds and worse there was a part of her that wanted to, a part of her that didn't like being held back. She looked towards the doors that led outside, hearing that voice like an irritant at the back of her mind, urging her to go.

"Scott." He wasn't listening. Instead he was looking to Lydia who was trying to clear a path.

"We're almost there."

"I can't wait. I just, I need… I need to leave now. I'm sorry." She ripped out of his grip and ducked towards the doors. She heard Scott yelling after her but ignored him as she flung the doors open and dove out in the quiet of the school grounds. Not wanting to deal with either of them coming after her she jogged towards the parking lot, keeping her eyes to the ground.

Her lack of attention led her directly into the path of Ms. Morrell who she barrelled into, scattering papers everywhere, sending them both tumbling to the rough pavement. Allison put out her hands to break her fall and was rewarded with pain and scraped hands. She immediately shielded her eyes, pulling herself to her feet apologizing and stumbled away, not offering to help clean up the mess she had caused, ignoring Ms. Morell.

"Miss Argent? I believe that was the class bell. Miss Argent?"

Ducking between cars she skirted her way around the school and made her way onto the field. She looked down to the blood on her hands and wiped the offending liquid on her skirt as she walked, remembering too late that she'd borrowed it from Lydia. Sighing in annoyance she glanced down at her hands again and watch in amazement as the scrapes slowly disappeared to nothing, leaving her skin feeling tight and itchy.

Not willing to risk glancing around Allison stepped off the edge of the field into the woods. If Scott and Lydia wanted to follow she wasn't going to make it easy. Once she was amongst the trees she broke into a run, smiling at finally being able to give in to that feeling in the cafeteria that had been urging her onward. She wasn't sure how long she ran for she only knew that it felt like freedom. Her feet didn't follow a set path, weaving through trees and leaping over fallen logs, heading in no set direction. Birds and the occasional deer stood out amongst the foliage thanks to her enhanced sight and there was also a stream off to her left somewhere. It would have been interesting to just see how different the world looked with her new skills but it wouldn't be today. Ahead of her she spotted Derek and it brought her out of her reverie to dead halt.

She wasn't breathing hard but she could feel the sweat rolling down her face and back, bringing a slow chill to her skin as she came down from the endorphin high of her run. Derek simply stared, an annoyed look on his face as he walked towards her. She frowned at his approach.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I'm taking the day off."

Derek crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Right."

Allison just stood, brow raised, waiting for an explanation. They were both still and silent while the woods around them teemed with noise. The underbrush rustled with all manner of small mammals and the trees with their bare branches swayed in the wind. Derek was the first to cave, noting the scent of blood coming from Allison. If she really was in trouble like Scott had said he hoped she hadn't done anything stupid between when she'd left the school and run into him.

"I got a phone call from Scott asking me to track you down." He stepped towards her, looking for visible wounds.

"So you know then." She backed away from his approach, frowning when she saw him give her the once over. Matt had done the same thing to her more than once and it had been equally disturbing.

He nodded, frowning at her. "Did you hurt yourself after leaving school?"

"I fell in the parking lot. Who told you?" He'd probably known before she did. After all she'd spent several days lying unconscious in her bed.

He didn't answer but instead spotted the bloodstains on her skirt. "And you're not injured?" His eyes flicked to her face.

She shook her head. "No I just…I wiped the blood off."

"Good. I wasn't sure what to think between Scott phoning me, saying you'd run out of school with your eyes lit up and then finding you in the woods smelling of blood."

Before she could argue that he was making assumptions the loud crack of a gunshot rang out amongst the trees, scattering a group of crows into the air, cawing in protest.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek flinched at the sound, head turning in the direction of the shot.

Allison stared out into the forest, confused. "I thought there wasn't any hunting on the Preserve."

She looked to him for reassurance, that she had no reason to be worried. Hunting in the area was popular but she could easily say the shot hadn't come from a hunting rifle, which only made her nervous.

"There isn't." Derek frowned.

He lifted his head and tried to catch any scent indicating who or what was in the woods with them. All he could smell though was earth, woodrot and deer droppings. The wind was coming from the wrong direction and the shots were a few miles off by his estimation. He didn't like it though. It was the middle of the day and while it could easily be someone hunting illegally, instinct told him that it was likely anything but.

"Should we go check it out?"

It was a selfish request she knew but it would definitely take her mind off of things. And at least she'd feel something more than useless. Tracking she could do and would likely be better at the way she was now.

Derek was tempted to lie and keep from adding to the stress and confusion she was already under but he knew it wouldn't work. It was long past the point where she would buy a convenient explanation. That had all ended when she found out about Scott and discovered another world existed alongside her own.

If he'd been alone he would have taken the chance. He'd rather deal with a potential problem before it got out of hand. Better to handle it now than wait for things to end up on the news. But Allison was at a disadvantage and would likely be a liability.

Derek shook his head. "We don't know how many there are or what they're doing here."

She fought to keep from rolling her eyes and huffed at his caution. Yes she came straight from school without any of her weapons. Yes she felt practically naked without her bow or at least a blade because she had no interest getting called into the Principal's office because someone saw a knife in her locker. But that didn't mean she was incapable and Derek was more than equipped to take on some idiots with a gun.

"We don't have to get involved. We could just see what they're up to and if they're normal we can call the cops."

Derek frowned as what she said sunk in. Squeezing her eyes shut she silently berated herself. She was one of them now, having crossed over that divide when Scott bit her. And to insinuate humans were the normal ones…well she knew better than that.

"I'm sorry I didn't-"

"I don't care. Did you want training or not?"

Allison nodded, her eyes to the ground, biting her lip. He'd offered to help and she'd managed to insult him in under five minutes. She could tell he was angry. The tense set of his shoulders, his curt reply. And there was something else. She wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar smell. Her eyes widened. Was that Derek? It was a thick heavy scent that for some reason put her on edge. Turning away she tried to hide how her nose was twitching, how she wanted to back. It was like a filmy layer that covered up the regular smells of aftershave and deodorant.

Ignoring her discomfort Derek walked off, leading her away from the gunshots. As curious as he was, it would be irresponsible to involve her in a possibly dangerous situation while having little to no control over herself. Besides if it was just someone hunting illegally he didn't want them to be mistaken for deer.

There was no path to follow. He simply walked amongst the underbrush detritus, skirting boulders and fallen logs. His thoughts strayed from Scott's request as he considered how he could check out the area later. Even if the people were no longer there he would still likely be able to get an idea of numbers and hopefully discover if there was any supernatural element to their presence. Fingers crossed it was just a bunch of dumb humans.

Allison followed silently, wishing she'd worn shoes to school instead of boots. They went on like this for several minutes until she felt a strange pull on the skin of her palms and stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. She stopped, turning her hands over and sharply inhaled as the scrapes from the parking lot slowly disappeared. Her hand felt tight as she clenched and unclenched her fists, testing the new skin. Tentatively she dragged a finger over her palm, shocked at the entire experience. She'd seen it before but the ease with which it happened and the strange feeling of skin forming was an entirely new and strange experience.

With half an ear attuned to what was going on behind him, Derek heard her slow and then stop. Half-turning he saw her staring down at her hands. He could smell how nervous she was, wondering if they shouldn't try this at another time when she wasn't so worked up from whatever had happened at school. The best thing he could think of was to try and distract her from growing even more agitated. And since Scott had called him for a reason he decided to focus on the task at hand, training Allison so she wouldn't accidentally expose all of them to the general public.

"Hey, if you want to learn this is your first test."

With that he took off into the woods, running flat out over rotting stumps and through brush, trusting she'd catch up. Besides, if he ran her ragged there was little chance she'd still want to go and check out the gunshots.

Allison stared after him as he disappeared from view. With one glance behind she sprinted after him, doing her best to follow the irregular path he'd taken. As she dodged around bushes and jumped over gullies she almost slipped on loose rocks, cursing. Used to running on man-made paths she though it was more likely that she'd twist an ankle than keep up with him. Then she stumbled into a thorn bush and let fly a flurry of expletives, the sharp tines pricking through her clothes and skin. She ignored the smatter of pain and wrenched free, looking up to see Derek disappear over a short rise.

She scrambled after, scanning for the dark shirt he was wearing. As she ran she started to pick up a variety of scents and was surprised by their variety as she rushed by: the mellow fullness of earth, the tang of water, the bright punch of greenery. She balked at the intensity, shaking her head and blinking as if that would help clear her sinuses. Surprisingly as her pace slowed she found she was able to separate them individually, all distinct with some more pungent than others. She breathed deep, coming to a stop as the smells settled on her tongue.

Apart from the woods she could detect the presence of animals: loamy excrement and sour urine, metallic blood and fatty marrow. And she was surrounded by it. In fact it was almost too much crowding in on her, both life and death held within the confines of her head, their scents invisible and pervading. She pulled her shirt up over her nose and held it there, trying to calm herself, soothed by her own scent.

Finally when her heart wasn't trying to batter its way out of her chest she dropped the shirt and let the world back in. _How does Scott do this every day?_ School was bad enough, filled with unwashed teenagers, chemical cleansers and years of smells buried in the furniture and building. But the woods? She couldn't imagine trying to function outdoors surrounded by hundreds of different scents carried by the wind.

Having gotten hold of herself she slow-jogged, looking for Derek but there was still no sign of him. _Shit. _Wellif she couldn't see him she could always try something else.

She tried using her ears to listen but had no idea what direction to take. All she could hear was the wind, leaves rustling, her own heartbeat, her own breath. _Double shit. _She closed her eyes and tried to center herself like she did in meditation. The only problem was she had no idea how to use or even access her new skills. And sound it turned out was a lot harder to pull apart than smells. No matter how she tried she could only hear a mass of noise, unable to disseminate it, no matter which direction she turned. She'd hoped to hear him running and simply follow the sound.

_Unless he stopped running. _She made a face at the thought that he was making this hard on purpose. _Just like dad. _A pang shot through her at the thought of how she'd left things with her father. Tears threatened at the corner of her eyes but she swallowed the pain. This wasn't the time or place.

She only had one option left and so started walking in a circle, testing the air with her nose, trying to find a hint of which way he'd gone. Slowly she made the circle larger and larger, growing agitated as she tried to sort through the scents, searching for something unique.

The pinpricks from the thorn bush closed up while she searched and she shook her arms to rid herself of the funny sensation, taking in lungfuls of forest. There were pine to her left, growing sharper every time she walked past. Somewhere behind her she was sure there were mushrooms or at least some kind of fungi. And there was definitely something dead in the area. The festering smell clouded her mouth until she could almost taste it. That's when she caught a whiff of aftershave.

Standing still she took two steps forward one step back, always turning, trying to follow the direction he'd taken. _Is this how dogs do it? _She could only assume it was him. There was a hint of sweat and that roiling scent that had made her back away earlier. She followed the curl of it step by step. The pace was agonizing but Allison was stubborn.

Finally after what felt like an hour she found Derek lounging against a tree, arms crossed. If she had to guess she'd say he looked frustrated and bored. He didn't speak, only glanced down at his watch but Allison understood. She'd been slow and he'd been waiting. Pure bull-headed stubbornness wouldn't let her back down from the challenge though. And if she wanted to get a handle on her new life she'd have to just grit her teeth and push through, no matter how many times it took.

"I want to try again."

He stared her down. "And what makes you think you'll be any faster?"

Tilting her chin up, she countered. "I won't be distracted this time. I know what to look for now."

He raised a brow, prompting an answer.

"Aftershave," she smirked.

A frown threatened at the corner of his mouth. He'd been curious as to whether her hunter training would have any bearing on her new skills, unsure if he should discourage her from using it. But finding he'd made it easier on her by accident was…annoying. Humans wouldn't think twice about perfumes or products with fragrances but hunters knew better. And now that she was a wolf it was something she'd have to concern herself with. His mistake though was a problem. Was he growing soft?

Derek remembered back to New York and those first few months spent in hiding, flinching at shadows and looking over his shoulder in fear that they'd been followed. He'd barely left the apartment at first, finding some semblance of safety in four solid walls. And when he wasn't relentlessly checking the smoke detectors and ensuring the fire escape worked, he spent his time at the windows looking out, desperate to stretch his legs and run. It was only after Laura told him about Central Park that she was able to coax him out. He shook his head at the memory.

"I'll be sure to fix that next time. Let's try something else instead. What do you see?"

She quirked her head and crinkled her brow. _Is this a trick question?_ She looked around, expecting something to stand out in contrast to the rest of the woods. "Trees?"

Derek gave her the look he normally reserved for Stiles when he said something stupid. "Look harder."

She wasn't sure what he was asking. Wasn't she supposed to be using her werewolf attributes as a substitute? Her fingertips tingled as she grew irritated, eyes darting around trying to find what he meant for her to see. There was dirt on the ground and leaves on the trees. Nothing about this spot appeared to be different from any other on the Preserve, she was sure. Glancing to Derek for some hint she found him stone-faced and silent. If there was something to be gleaned from this lesson she would have to find it on her own.

This went on for several minutes as she paced, looking around at the trees and bushes, refusing to give in as she steadily grew more aggravated. Nothing appeared out of place. Whatever she was missing had to be right in front of her. She had no idea how long was he going to let her twist as he appeared unconcerned with his eyes closed, face tilted to the sun.

_Is he…napping?_

If she'd been a little bolder she might socked him in the arm. Instead she redirected her glare to a lichen-covered rock. Her eyes narrowed as she willed it to give up whatever secrets it might be hiding. And then the world sharpened as if she'd been peering through a dirty window suddenly wiped clean. There was pitting on the rock and striations that spidered out like a river delta, the curl and curve of the lichens all in sharp contrast. Everything was clear and close all at once.

"What…?" She backed away in shock, wide-eyed. Before, it had come unbidden. But being able to summon it at will? It was an unnerving rush.

Derek cracked an eyelid, staring in what appeared to be suppressed amusement. "Wolves have better vision than humans. If you focus you should be able to see better and farther. It might take some getting used to but you should be able to shift between the two with a little practice. Now, what do you see?"

Allison could only stare. She could see the pores in his skin, the flecks of brown in his irises, the stray lash on his cheek. Everything was so sharp it almost hurt. She shut her eyes, willing it to stop.

Derek somehow knew what was wrong and stepped closer. "Breathe through your nose. Relax your shoulders. Open your eyes."

Allison grimaced. Easier said than done. She took several shaky breaths trying to collect herself, hating her lack of control. As she was trying to let go of the tension in her body she heard rustling off to her left.

Her head snapped to the side, eyes popped open as she tried to discern what was in the bushes. Silent and still as a rock she hardly dared breathe.

For a moment there was nothing but the sound of the wind until a distant bush trembled. Hidden amongst the green she could see several patches of hair. If she had to guess she'd say it was a rabbit, one wholly oblivious to their presence.

As she watched it her mouth started watering. She found herself leaning in the direction of the little heartbeat that no doubt was thumping away under its furry breast. It was an action without thought and no doubt completely instinctual and yet she couldn't pull herself away. More alarming though was she didn't want to. Her eyes followed every move and all she wanted was to get closer, maybe lay her hands on it, sink her claws into that soft fur.

Allison blinked in surprised at the thought and for the first time fear entered her mind. It was as if there was something else living inside her, something that had its own thoughts and feelings. Was this what it meant to be a wolf?

Back at the cafeteria she'd been walking on the edge, in danger of being consumed by her new nature. And now she could feel it again, that pull inside, alien and unwanted, muddling her mind. She was panting by this point, her heart beating in her ears.

Derek stared at her with a measure of concern before he walked over, trying to distract her. He knew from experience that without proper training it was easy for instinct to take over. There was the initial excitement compounded by the sight and smell of prey. Teeth and claws could descend and usually by that point there was no going back without wolfsbane or mountain ash. He had access to neither but could see her eyes flashing. Her gaze never wavered from the rabbit which wasn't good. It meant she might be too far gone and he wouldn't be able to pull her out of it. There was no telling where she'd end up if he let her leave. So instead he slowly reached out and grasped her wrist, fingers tightening by increments.

As her thoughts raced through what ifs and worst case scenarios, she felt a hand drawing her back to herself, anchoring her as fear burbled up, threatening to overtake her as it had when Scott tried to help.

"Allison don't."

"I can't…" She couldn't explain, only that it felt worse than the cafeteria, twisting up inside her, scrabbling to claw its way out of her brain.

"What do you feel?"

She inhaled and tried to shut out all thought, sight and smell of the rabbit. When had she gotten so weak that a small furry animal could wield this amount of power over her?

"I feel…scared." She clenched her hands, hating to admit the fact. "And…anxious."

"And what do you want to do about it?" He asked soft and steady.

She made a face, unsure of herself. "I don't know. Run…hide."

"Good." She turned to look at him, confused. He let go. "It's normal to feel that way. As a wolf all your senses are heightened. From smells and tastes to emotions. It can take time to get used to but you will."

The bushes rustled again and she fought to keep from looking and lost. The rabbit had emerged from the bushes, nosing around on the ground before it started to nibble on the young shoots of nearby grasses. Allison whimpered in a mixture of pain and expectation. She couldn't even describe how badly she wanted to sink her teeth into that fuzzy little bunny, feeling her fangs descend and claws emerge.

Derek tried to speak to her again but she was unmoved. He was losing her to the wolf. _Fuck. _There was nothing for it. He concentrating on the innate power he'd been born with and closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were the bright red of an Alpha and he had to suppress a growl of frustration at having to resort to such tactics. She wasn't even pack so he couldn't be sure his plan would work but it was his best chance. Putting as much authority into his voice as he could he spoke.

"Don't. Move."

He saw her tense, her back straighten as she recognized the power in the voice. But would she yield? Alphas had pull but it only extended so far with wolves outside their circle. And technically Allison was an Omega, pack-less and therefore transient. Normally he would have run her kind off his turf but this situation was more than just slightly different. She was an Argent and recently, an ally. More importantly though she was one of them now and despite his feelings about her family he wasn't going to let her lose control. If he was being honest it had more to do with his kind being exposed than teaching her but if he was able to kill two birds at the same time, so be it.

Finally Allison turned to look at him, eyes blazing amber. But the look on her face wasn't one of familiarity. She wasn't thinking as human-Allison anymore. Her wolf had tight hold of her senses and was unlikely to let go with just a word from a strange wolf. She tilted her head and sniffed the air, getting a taste of him. Her behaviour wasn't that of an obedient or cowed wolf. He tried to remain calm and for a moment thought she was ready to step towards him when the rabbit dashed off down a spindly trail.

Without a word she raced after it, her eyes never leaving its body as it leapt, turning and twisting to try and lose her. She caught a scent of something sour that crinkled her nose but was too happy to care. Nothing felt better than chasing something. Why hadn't she realized it before?

"Allison!" Derek yelled, angry and worried as he sprinted after her.

The woods raced by until it was a green blur, a verdant smudge in his periphery. He wasn't keeping track of where they were running or how far they were from town. His priority was to stop her before she hurt herself or anyone else. Luckily he had experience on his side. Lengthening his stride he quickly caught up, grabbing hold of her arm and yanking backwards to unbalance her.

He shouldn't have been surprised when she countered his move and rounded on him, growling as she lashed out, forcing him to let go. He jerked back and narrowly avoided being blinded as her claws raked the air in front of his face. It saved his vision but gave her time to run off. He glared, shook his head and started running again. _Damn hunter training._

He should have been paying attention. He should have called off the lesson from the start. Instead he was stuck chasing an out of control werewolf through the Preserve in the middle of the day and they could run into joggers at any moment. Derek berated himself for not taking better precautions. He should have just called Chris to come and pick her up and all of this could have been avoided.

Minutes went by and they ran across streams and up hills. Every time he got close she used her previous training to escape and while he did want to stop her, he didn't want to injure her in the process. That would only make her more dangerous in her current state. His best case scenario was if the chase exhausted her but from his observations that was unlikely to happen any time soon.

As she dashed through a copse of trees he thought something felt off. But before he could process the reason why, he emerged into a clearing with Allison ahead of him, completely still. Thirty feet beyond was the rabbit and several bewildered people holding guns.

They were likely the source of the shots Derek realized. He halted, watching as the rabbit ran beyond the men and woman. Quickly he ducked his head and reverted his vision, hoping they hadn't noticed Allison's. He didn't really want to have to make up some weird explanation for her and her glowing eyes.

Slowly he flanked her, trying to get her attention so they could leave before she did something that could expose them all but her focus was still on where the rabbit had run off to, behind the hunters. She took a step towards them, then another.

"Allison?"

She couldn't hear him with the blood rushing in her ears. The voice in her head was furious. They were between her and her prey. It was her kill! Without even thinking she ran towards them.

With few choices left Derek leapt after, wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her arms to her torso. That's when he realized the hunters weren't wearing reflective vests. They were holding shotguns. That same niggling feeling of wrongness appeared as a familiar weakness washed over him. His grip loosened and she was able to wriggle free. That's when he smelled it. Wolfsbane!

"Allison!" Derek yelled.

All her brain could process was _mine_. The pretty was hers and she wasn't going to let anyone take it from her. Derek jumped after her, trying to grab hold before she could get anywhere near the hunters. But it was too late. The closest man aimed and shot point blank at her torso. That's when she felt a sharp bite in her side and then excruciating pain. She cried out and collapsed to the ground. A man stood over her, gun pointed at her heart.

Before he could pull the trigger though, Derek dove in front of her. He wasn't thinking he just moved, covering her body with his own. He felt pain spread over his back, sound echoing into the distance as he fell.


End file.
